Number Plate Stories

For Tony it all began way back in 1965 when he saw an advertisement in the local paper for a 1938 3.5 litre SS Jaguar for only £50. "I called at the address only to find there were, in fact, three cars available, one working and two others available for spares" says Tony. "After some negotiation I managed to buy the whole lot for just £35, although that was a lot of money in those far off, heady days.

Inside the boot of the one drivable car, Tony found small compartment which used to house an impressive selection of tools. " wanted to restore the set" he said "so I advertised and found dozens of un-restored Jaguars - including SS models - all over the UK. Very soon, I had replaced the tool kit entirely.

"It was a wonderful period of my life. Having used the car for two years, I found it fascinating to drive around behind an impressive Jaguar mascot. Of course, in those days, you could leave a beautiful car anywhere without any fear that it would be damaged or have its mascot stolen.

"I had started a small gardening business which, after just one year, had grown to twenty employees. This paid the rent on the garages I wanted, and I started to buy more SS cars. After three years I had filled ten lock-up garages with about fifteen cars, in various states of repair. I’d found them in dusty yards, farms and field where I had, on one occasion, to cut down trees in order to retrieve the vehicle."

Tony remembers traveling to Detling in Kent where he found a wonderful old SS 3.5 DHC covered in cobwebs. "It hadn't’t been driven for twenty years, but it started straightaway with a new battery! I drove back to Dorset, a distance of over 150 miles. The garage attendant's face was a picture when I pulled up, because the car was absolutely filthy and covered in about forty years worth of dust and cobwebs. It was quite lucky that a policemen hadn't happened to have be on patrol at the time!"

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